Ok, lets talk PC-Based recording!

D

deanfourie1

n3wb
Feb 9, 2022
19
2
New Zealand
So for a while now, I have been running PC Based recording and I do prefer it to be honest. I was running a nice Intel NUC, i5 with 8 gigs of RAM and the thing was MINT except, of course for overheating! It just keep thermal tripping on me.

So, I then went for a tower, something with better airflow and better cooling, and its a old gen i7, with 30 odd gigs of RAM.

The issue I seem to always have is finding a reliable recording software! I've been using Milestone xprotect Essential + now for a while, free for up to 8 cams, and being free is great for home use. But, I find xprotect to be a little unstable and heavy. Its not all that reliable and it misses some motion at times and other small things that have come to light over time.

Then I moved onto Luxriot, which I have just installed and testing. Not bad, seems to be quite a bit more reliable, maybe some kind of internal database structure rather then MSSQL. So far, not bad, seems a little smoother.

I am wondering what others are using. Ideally free, or not too expensive VMS platforms.

I am also specifically interested in LINUX based platforms. Something with reliable motion detection and good stability etc.

Any recommendations and thoughts?

Thanks
 
There's a two week, I believe, trial version. After that $55 gets you one year of free upgrades. There is a yearly of about $30 for constant upgrades and support. If you choose not to subscribe after the initial year your current version will last forever or as long as it'll run on Windows. It will support up to 64 cameras either way.
 
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"He who searches doesn't know Blue Iris, he who knows Blue Iris stopped searching a long time ago"

This question has been asked dozens of times, head over to the Blue Iris part of the forum!
 
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$55 is for the purchase and you can get any updates for a year with that.

After a year, you can continue to use the program, you just do not get any updates unless you purchase another year for $30ish.

Many people are still running multi-year old Version 4 just fine. But many of us feel that $30 annual for the number of improvements made is well worth the cost.

You can run 64 cameras with it.

There is a trial, simply download it and it is evaluation copy for 15 days.

I obviously haven't used every VMS out there, but I think it is the best one and so do many people here. Especially best value at the cost.
 
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wittaj said:
$55 is for the purchase and you can get any updates for a year with that.

After a year, you can continue to use the program, you just do not get any updates unless you purchase another year for $30ish.

Many people are still running multi-year old Version 4 just fine. But many of us feel that $30 annual for the number of improvements made is well worth the cost.

You can run 64 cameras with it.

There is a trial, simply download it and it is evaluation copy for 15 days.

I obviously haven't used every VMS out there, but I think it is the best one and so do many people here. Especially best value at the cost.
Click to expand...

Yea, well worth a look

The other big issue I have is I have a few cams covering a large area, at quite a distance and the MD struggles to pickup a person and trigger the MD. So I need something with good MD processing! Maybe something like MD focus points.
 
deanfourie1 said:
Yea, well worth a look

The other big issue I have is I have a few cams covering a large area, at quite a distance and the MD struggles to pickup a person and trigger the MD. So I need something with good MD processing! Maybe something like MD focus points.
Click to expand...

That is more a problem of the camera and the field of view and trying to do too much with the equipment you got than it is the VMS. Garbage in=garbage out...

You need cameras with the correct focal length for the distances you are trying to cover.

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection

At the urging of several folks here, I created a thread to show the importance of focal length and how focal length can be more important than megapixels (MP). I mentioned some of this in the post regarding The Hookup’s latest video demonstrating different cameras, including one sold from a...
ipcamtalk.com ipcamtalk.com
 
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wittaj said:
That is more a problem of the camera and the field of view and trying to do too much with the equipment you got than it is the VMS. Garbage in=garbage out...

You need cameras with the correct focal length for the distances you are trying to cover.

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection

At the urging of several folks here, I created a thread to show the importance of focal length and how focal length can be more important than megapixels (MP). I mentioned some of this in the post regarding The Hookup’s latest video demonstrating different cameras, including one sold from a...
ipcamtalk.com ipcamtalk.com
Click to expand...
Yea I know.

Anyone heard of CamLytics? Car counting camera software solution & API

and LinkingVision 领先的物联网视频解决方案 | 零视技术
 
deanfourie1 said:
Yea, well worth a look

The other big issue I have is I have a few cams covering a large area, at quite a distance and the MD struggles to pickup a person and trigger the MD. So I need something with good MD processing! Maybe something like MD focus points.
Click to expand...

For large open areas you are better off configuring constant record at full resolution and frame rate, or reduced frame rate/reduced resolution until motion is detected, at which point you record at Full resolution/Full frame rate. This should be possible on almost any platform.
 
Blue Iris will do exactly that, record constantly in full resolution if you so desire or from the sub stream to save disk space, but then switch to full resolution when motion is detected. It also had integration for DeepStack AI. I currently use Blue Iris and DeepStack to detect street traffic and it is very reliable. The keys are good views and good contrast, both day and night, but particularly at night.
 
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It's been years, but I looked at a wide range of free or inexpensive recording options before deciding to pay for BI. Honestly I wish I had gone with BI right from the start. First, BI simply works and works reliably. Second, BI is extremely feature rich and flexible - things like zones, triggers, schedules, events, etc are are extremely easy to set up in BI and are 100% reliable. Third, BI is still being actively developed and new features are being added all the time. So as good as BI is now (and it really is a mature product at this point), it still gets better.

$55 is a one-time fee for a lifetime license and 12 months of support and updates. After that initial 12 month period ends, your system will continue to function 100% forever, but you cannot update the software to any update with a release date that is after your support period ended. However you can buy another 12 months of support for $30 or $35 currently. It is not required however and you can have periods of "non-support" and then decide to pay for another 12 mo of support and immediately get back up to date and have 12 months of support after that. For example, I bought BI and did not renew my support after the initial 12 month period was up. I did not pay for support for a long time (perhaps 12-18 months if I remember correctly). Then BI started coming out with new features that I wanted, so I paid $30 for 12 months of new support. BI started my support that day and it didn't expire for 364 days - BI did not try to "recapture" any time that I was not paying for support. I happily just renewed my support for another 12 months because I feel there is real value in what BI is bringing to the table. Not only do I want to continue to upgrade my system to get new features, I also want to help ensure that BI continues development with my small financial contribution.
 
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The Automation Guy said:
It's been years, but I looked at a wide range of free or inexpensive recording options before deciding to pay for BI. Honestly I wish I had gone with BI right from the start. First, BI simply works and works reliably. Second, BI is extremely feature rich and flexible - things like zones, triggers, schedules, events, etc are are extremely easy to set up in BI and are 100% reliable. Third, BI is still being actively developed and new features are being added all the time. So as good as BI is now (and it really is a mature product at this point), it still gets better.

$55 is a one-time fee for a lifetime license and 12 months of support and updates. After that initial 12 month period ends, your system will continue to function 100% forever, but you cannot update the software to any release after your support period ends. However you can buy another 12 months of support for $30 or $35 currently. It is not required however and you can have periods of "non-support" and then decide to pay for another 12 mo of support and immediately get back up to date and have 12 months of support after that. For example, I bought BI and did not renew my support after the initial 12 month period was up. I did not pay for support for a long time (perhaps 12-18 months if I remember correctly). Then BI started coming out with new features that I wanted, so I paid $30 for 12 months of new support. BI started my support that day and it didn't expire for 364 days - BI did not try to "recapture" any time that I was not paying for support. I happily just renewed my support for another 12 months because I feel their is real value in what BI is bringing to the table. Not only do I want to continue to upgrade my system to get new features, I also want to help ensure that BI continues development with my small financial contribution.
Click to expand...

OK good to know. I will install the trial and run it.

Is it process heavy?
 
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@The Automation Guy couldn't have put it any better or more convincingly for someone like me, who has never tried any other VMS, and wouldn't bat an eye at dropping a hundred bucks or more on software that performs like Blue Iris. 60 bucks for a copy of this is chump change, and I'm plenty content and happy with the version I'm running in my sig line. Well-spoken by T.A.G.
 
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You can also checkout Frigate. I dont know if it's possible to run standalone, i run it under Home Assistant. I only use the AI to trigger Blue Iris but it's capable of recording as well.
 
I must be honest, just throwing this out there for others.

Luxriot is actually also flippin good! Well worth a look as a option.

I must be honest I had a look at BI and, it looks clunky! Even the mobile app looks like it was designed in MS paint.
 
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deanfourie1 said:
I must be honest, just throwing this out there for others.

Luxriot is actually also flippin good! Well worth a look as a option.

I must be honest I had a look at BI and, it looks clunky! Even the mobile app looks like it was designed in MS paint.
Click to expand...

Most of us will take clunky and an outdated looking app for a program that works well than have the latest look/feel interface but not perform or have the granular control of the settings like we have with BI.

If we cared about interface, then folks would be using Ring and Arlo and Reolinks lol.
 
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